Lunacy Robot Game could inspire a generation

January 4, 2009 Lunacy is an international seat-of-the-pants learning game with the promise to inspire a generation. At yesterday’s Kick Off, 1700 international teams were given the rules and a kit of parts - motors, batteries, a control system, and a mix of automation components – but no instructions. The students have six weeks to design, build and program their robotic athlete ready for play on the low-friction playing surface. In each 135 second match, the robots score points by picking up 9" balls and dropping them in trailers hitched to their opponents. Lunacy ticks all the boxes for building important life skills – collaborative learning and adapting on the fly under deadline conditions with measurable results. With 42,000 high-school students from as far afield as Brazil, Germany, Israel, Turkey and the Philippines, the FIRST Robotics Competition is an evolving engineering talent showcase with the potential to become a TV sport with the international appeal to rival F1 one day. FIRST also runs the FIRST LEGO League for 9-14 year-olds, and the Junior FIRST LEGO League for 6 to 9 year-olds. The aim of this life-changing program is to inspire young people to become individual economic stimulus packages and pursue opportunities in science and technology.

“Forty years ago, NASA fueled a generation’s imagination with the success of Apollo 11. As we celebrate that remarkable feat of technology and engineering with our 2009 game, Lunacy, we are sparking more of that kind of inspiration through the FIRST Robotics Competition," said FIRST founder, Dean Kamen. “Just as NASA scientists landed a man on the moon and returned him safely to earth in 1969, so too will these young people go on to explore new frontiers and develop breakthrough technologies that will change the world.”

The FIRST Robotics Competition is an annual competition that helps students discover the rewards and excitement of science, engineering, and technology.

“In today’s social environment, FIRST has a chance to re-define the larger economic and moral playing field,” noted Dr. Woodie Flowers, FIRST national advisor and Pappalardo professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Our students can be their own economic stimulus packages by leveraging their skills into self-sustaining careers and help with the issues we face in the 21st century.”

Sponsored by NASA, PTC, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the exciting Kickoff event gave teams the opportunity to see the new game for the first time. Teams across the nation and in Canada, and Israel watched the proceedings via NASA TV broadcast or webcast from 52 local Kickoff sites, many of which also offered workshops and a chance to meet other teams. The agenda included presentations by FIRST founder Dean Kamen; PTC executive vice president and chief product officer James E. Hepplemann; NASA program executive Dave Lavery; FIRST chairman John Abele; FIRST national advisor Dr. Woodie Flowers; and FIRST president Paul R. Gudonis. The program also featured the premiere of the 2009 FIRST Safety Video, presented by the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association and Underwriters Laboratories.

In 1992, the FIRST Robotics Competition began with 28 teams and a single 14 x 14 foot playing field in a New Hampshire high school gym. This season, 1,686 teams – including 322 rookie teams – will participate. Forty regional competitions in the U.S., Canada, and Israel, plus seven district competitions and one state championship in Michigan, will lead up to the 2009 FIRST Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, April 16-18. FIRST programs are operated by over 85,000 dedicated volunteers worldwide, many of them professional engineers and scientists who mentor the next generation of innovators.

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering.

Since its beginning, FIRST has had a positive impact on students and academic communities. Participating high-school juniors and seniors are eligible to apply for more than $9 million in scholarships from leading universities, colleges, and companies. Research has shown that FIRST has significantly improved students’ attitudes about math and science and has fostered a culture of teamwork, leadership, and self-confidence. In fact, FIRST participants are 50% more likely to attend college, twice as likely to go on to major in science or engineering, three times as likely to major specifically in engineering, and four times more likely to expect to pursue a career in engineering than a comparison group of students with similar backgrounds in high school math and science.

With the support of many of the world's most well-known companies, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge for high-school students, the FIRST LEGO® League for children 9-14 years old, and the Junior FIRST LEGO League for 6 to 9 year-olds.